I have loved almost every moment of the last four weeks of the election process. It has been quiet a ride.Now I must confess that I am predisposed to politics having worked in public affairs for the last four years, most of which has involved me working in or around Westminster. I have always voted as as I feel it is so very important.

But I have never felt excited about an election.

Perhaps this is what people felt like in 1997. I wasn’t quiet old enough to vote in that election, and to be honest I think most of it past me by then. It was only at University that I became interested in politics, and I really only became actively informed when I started work. But even then I had to seek out information.

This really feels to me to be the first election ever where both the politics and the politician have been readily accessible to everyone. I thought that the televised debates were a brilliant exercise, they certainly prompted great debates in our house hold.

So I have been and voted, which was an experience in itself. We have been in Leeds for nearly three weeks now and I still need my A-Z (which is about one fifth of the size / weight of my old London one, my handbag is thankful) to get about, for some reason the street layout is just not sinking in to my brain.

I will be sitting up tonight to watch the results, and to cheer on Sunderland council who are aiming to be the first to turn in results again for the fifth election in a row. Only a small percentage of seats will actually be counted tonight, so we may not actually know who will have won until tomorrow, and if some seats need a recount, it really could be very late tomorrow that we know.

Perhaps history could be made? I really do hope so. And I’d like to think that in my own little way I have helped with that change.

One Response to Strange Times

I think it's exciting this year too. I was at university in 1997 when the election took place, and found myself in Manchester city centre around 2am on election night, where a giant TV screen relayed the news that Labour had won. There were plenty of people celebrating.